Windbound Reviews

Best in adventure mode

A game about sailing. Windbound was not a perfect game by my expectations. However, was is still a very much enjoyable experience. I could not shake the feeling of a missed potential in some parts though. Like there could be more of the underwater world to explore. Then, it didn't feel like a much-needed content because the game worked without such innovations. I deem Windbound a well-designed but imperfectly produced game. It taught me patience. First, I played the Survivalist difficulty level. I'm no hardcore gaming enthusiast but I believe the Storyteller difficulty wouldn't keep me as engaged in the narrative. Just like in Dark Souls there is a feeling of catharsis after losing progress, same feeling applies here. Coming back all the way to chapter 1 while retaining the knowledge of the previous iteration didn't spoil the experience. The maps of each chapter were procedurally generated. An example of that just mentioned were the so called "bonus shrines" which you could interact with and they granted bonuses. It was always a game of chance whether this time you would get extra health or stamina. However, the problem of losing most of the progress (except for the "held" inventory items) slowed the pace of the game significantly. Immersive adaptive music. Second, whether it be a change of weather from clear to stormy during sailing or an enemy attack the sudden changes of ambience played a crucial role in immersion. The sound design was well done where audio helped identify comfort from danger. Most prominently, each creature encountered had its own specific track attached to it. It played whenever the creature was idly wandering around. Namely, there were boars appearing from chapter 1 whose specific track was a nylon guitar. It added to the feeling you could have a hunter's intuition as if being able to track and observe patterns that led you to your prey. The great physics bug. On the other note, the game appeared to be rough around the edges because of the minor bugs I experienced on my way through the story. Sometimes I would get stuck in the environment during a fight and had to roll off away, then I would get struck with a debuff only to restart the game and cleanse the effect. There were problems in the game that affected the way I played, something like I had to accommodate, adapt my playstyle using some bugs to counter other bugs. I also found one particular I'd call a major one that shouldn't be there. It was when one of the creatures of the islands landed a hit on me and I was sent flying like a superman. I landed in water outside the island and almost had the character lose consciousness from swimming back. To conclude, despite the ups and the downs I recommend playing the game. It was an interesting blend of sailing mechanics, action-survival gameplay and an interesting story in itself. The main metaphor I could make out of the story was that no problem can be solved if there is no established dialog between people. One more thing to note is that Windbound can also be interpreted as an essay on loneliness. Everyone sails their own boat. We just do happen to sometimes reach the same island (a concept of belonging). We also just so happen to part out ways later. Singleplayer experience is purposeful here in reaching this feeling of solitude on everyone's personal journey. As if encircled by a storm in a closed space with just your own thoughts...

I had to give up on this. It's well made, I like the aesthetic and the core idea of navigating to different islands, collecting resources and upgrading your boat and equipment. However, the scarcity of materials and the restrictive inventory system made the experience feel more like busywork than fun for me.